Wide Receivers To Avoid: Brandon Lloyd, Laurent Robinson & Randy Moss

Which wide receivers could be over hyped and instead struggle? Who should you avoid on draft day? Let’s take a look at a few receivers I wouldn’t recommend drafting for 2012:

Brandon Lloyd – New England Patriots
Does everyone remember the year when Brandon Lloyd posted over 1,400 yards and 11 TD for the Denver Broncos? It was just 2010, so I would think most of us do. Unfortunately some people appear to be remembering it a little too well.

According to Mock Draft Central Lloyd currently carries an ADP of 79.54 and is the 28th wide receiver coming off the board. That’s a seventh round selection for a player who totaled 964 yards and 5 TD a year ago.

That’s a seventh round selection for a player moving to New England where he will have to battle Wes Welker, Deion Branch, Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez for catches.

Does that make sense to anyone? Sure, he has potential to produce but there’s too much risk to consider him as a WR3. How often do we really expect him to close in on 100 yards or score a TD? Do you really trust him to do it on a weekly basis?

Laurent Robinson – Jacksonville Jaguars
Robinson emerged in 2011 as a member of the Dallas Cowboys, with 54 catches for 858 yards and 11 TD. Joining Jacksonville as their top receiver should be a good thing, right? Not so much.

Instead of Tony Romo throwing him the ball, Robinson now has Blaine Gabbert.

Instead of Dez Bryant and Miles Austin drawing attention from the secondary, Robinson is joined by Justin Blackmon, who does have WR1 potential but also could need time to fully adjust to the NFL game, as well as Mike Thomas and Lee Evans. As it is, in a less than stellar offense Robinson will likely play second fiddle to Blackmon.

The situation just doesn’t seem like one that will breed success, does it?

Randy Moss – San Francisco 49ers
Can we all please realize that this is not the same Randy Moss at this point? Sure, he will likely have his moments, but this is a team built around its running game and defense. Alex Smith will mostly be asked simply not to lose the game, meaning big plays from the passing attack will likely be few and far between.

Throw in the emergence of Vernon Davis and the addition of Mario Manningham (as well as the presence of Michael Crabtree) and its hard to imagine Moss doing enough.

What are your thoughts on these three receivers? Would you target any of them? Why or why not?

One comment

I love your analysis overall, but to be honest, I am definitely targeting Brandon Lloyd as a WR3 (if not a WR2). Though his total number of targets will decrease over what he’s experienced the past two seasons, his familiarity with the Josh McDaniels system, massive upgrade at QB, and lesser coverage he should experience as teams try to shut down Welker and Gronkowski, I think he will flourish thanks to a decent volume of high-quality targets.